Midland Daily News All-Area Softball First Team

By the Midland Daily News

Updated 6:30 am, Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Pitchers

Laken Berthume (jr.), Coleman

(pitching)

• 16-3, 1.74 ERA, 122 K

(hitting)

• .452 BA, .519 OBP, 57 H, 35 R, 47 RBI

“Laken did whatever we needed her to do,” said Comets’ coach Chad Klopf. “ ... The last couple of years, she’s played all over the place for us. At the plate, she’ll get a (hit) when we really need it, and she comes up with big sac flies for us. ... She was a big part of our success.”

Jen Eaton (sr.), Beaverton

• 14-9, 1.57 ERA, 113 K, 129 1/3 IP

“Jen had a really nice career for us, and she had a good season,” said Beavers’ coach Aaron Wentworth. “She threw really well in the first part of the season, then went through a little bit of slump for a couple of weeks, but she turned it on nicely at the end of the year and ended her career on a good note. She pitched really solid.”

Catcher

Kaylie Scott (jr.), Coleman

• .396 BA, .441 OBP, 53 H, 28 R, 38 RBI, .966 fielding percentage

“Defensively, Kaylie is just a ball-stopper. She does a great job of blocking the ball and keeping it in front of her,” said Klopf. “She also covers third a lot on bunts and does a great job of hustling and backing up plays. ... At the plate ... she had a low strikeout rate, got the ball on the ground, and did a nice job for us.”

“Haley is by far our most gifted athlete,” said Mustangs’ coach Jamie Smith. “She has speed, great range, and an above-average arm. Her speed causes havoc on the basepaths, and she is virtually impossible to get out on a steal.”

Mallory Newton (jr.), Dow High

• .378 BA, .445 OBP, 34 H, 16 R, 23 RBI

“The girls voted Mallory as co-MVP (of our team),” said Chargers’ coach Jason Gehoski. “She was a strong presence on the field and at the plate for us. ... She was a leader on the field, directing traffic, and (she) took the role of leader on our team.”

Emma Carlson (jr.), Merrill

• .441 BA, .500 OBP, 41 H, 19 R, 26 RBI

“Emma was probably one of the hardest-working girls we had on the team this year,” said Vandals’ coach Harry Cowan. “She improved her hitting tremendously and really started to hit for power. ... Some of the girls were there just to play softball, but I always thought Emma just looked like a softball player with her determination and the way she did things.”

Kristie Gray (fr.), Bay City Western

• .339 BA, 41 H, 3 HR, 25 R, 33 RBI, .974 fielding percentage

“For a freshman, Kristie did a very nice job,” said Warriors’ coach Kris Popp. “ ... She did a real good job of solidifying first base ... and at the plate, she came through in some clutch situations. We batted her (in the) fourth through sixth positions, and she handled herself very well.”

Outfielders

Jessica Cottrell (jr.), Coleman

• .373 BA, .456 OBP, 44 H, 29 R, 31 RBI

“Jess drove in a lot of runs and got on base and just kept coming up with key hits,” said Klopf. “ ... She was one girl I probably could’ve moved up in the lineup, but she was doing so good that I just left her there (in the second half of the lineup).”

Ann-Marie Hicks (fr.), Beaverton

• .416 BA, .439 OBP, 37 H, 21 R, 20 RBI, .907 fielding percentage

“Ann-Marie has got a really good arm and a powerful bat,” said Wentworth. “She’s got a lot of upside. She’s going to be really good. She had a really nice year as a freshman for us, and she will continue to get better.”

Chelsea Gordon (sr.), Coleman

• .364 BA, .447 OBP, 48 H, 41 R, 38 RBI, .935 fielding percentage

“Chelsea has been our starting centerfielder for three seasons. A lot of our defensive success is credited to Chelsea running down flyballs and also getting groundballs in quickly to hold runners at first or throwing out runners trying to stretch a hit,” said Klopf. “At the plate, Chelsea has been a steady hitter who came up with clutch hits and RBIs when we needed them.”

At-Large

Dayna Fennell (jr. C/SS), Gladwin

• .487 BA, .520 OBP, 56 H, 6 HR, 34 R, 31 RBI

“Dayna has a powerhouse arm, and she can throw the ball hard and far, and she hits the ball very, very well,” said Gladwin coach Jill Keefer. “She can also play anywhere on the field. We needed her to catch and play shortstop for us this year, and she also pitched at times when we needed her to.”